This invention relates to a cab for a working vehicle, such as a backhoe loader, and more particularly to an improved construction and method of manufacturing the access doors for such cabs.
A backhoe loader conventionally includes a tractor-type vehicle that supports and powers a front loader mechanism and a rearward backhoe. The operator station for the vehicle is positioned between the rear wheels and behind the tractor hood and conventionally includes a reversible seat that allows the operator to face forwardly during transport of the machine or when the loader is being operated or rearwardly when the backhoe is being operated. A substantial number of such machines are provided with a cab that encloses the operator station and permits the operator's environment to be controlled and also provides rollover protection for the operator. Such cabs are conventionally provided with one or more access doors.
In cabs of the above general type previously marketed by the assignee of the present invention, an access door has been provided in the front wall of the cab, providing ingress and egress from the cab in front of the left drive wheel and along the left side of the hood. The access door has been primarily constructed of curved window glass that forms a portion of the front windshield of the vehicle. Typically, the cabs for such vehicles are primarily made of glass to provide good 360.degree. visibility from inside the cab, since such visibility is important not only during transport of the machine but while the machine is being operated. In the cabs of the above type, the doors have been constructed of fabricated steels components, with the windows being attached to the door by conventional flexible moldings. However, such doors have been expensive to manufacture because of the many welded details, which also adversely affects the aesthetics. Also, the dimensions on such doors have been difficult to control because of warpage and accumulation of piece part tolerances.